A Shared Purpose
by SageK
Summary: Set after 2x02…will probably get Jossed all to hell in 2x03, but what the heck : )


Since he didn't feel entirely comfortable appropriating the actual Sheriff's station, James decided the diner was as good a place as any for small meeting. After all, Red and the six Dwarves (who still knew who they were), back from a day in the mines, were already there.

Once the dinner rush abated, he waved them all over and took a breath.

He still hated public speaking.

"I wanted to thank you all for everything you've done since the curse was lifted," he began, looking around and meeting each pair of eyes. "Without your efforts, the town would have shattered. I was so focused on finding a way to get Snow and Emma back that I ignored my other responsibilities and I apologize for that."

"We understand," Grumpy assured him without malice. "We all want her back."

The others nodded and Red added, "You know we'll help any way we can."

"I know," he said, glancing down at Henry, who was listening, but quite focused on devouring a strawberry shortcake the size of his head. "Which is why I wanted to speak with you all. Until Emma returns, I suppose I'll be acting a Sheriff and I'd like to ask you, Red, to be my Deputy. You stepped up when I did not and you gave me a dose of reality when I needed it, something I'd be grateful if you continued to do."

Chin held high, Red nodded. "You can count on me."

He smiled at her before turning to the dwarves.

"As the Royal Guard, you men have proven brave, noble and unflinchingly true. With the town still in a state of upheaval, I'd ask you to continue your duties. The people need to know they can reach out to someone should they need help and I have a feeling upholding the law might require more numbers than just Red and myself."

As their de facto leader, Grumpy nodded, "It would be our honor...but we still need to make time to mine fairy dust, your highness."

"Of course," James agreed easily. "Everything will probably be a bit chaotic for a while…and really, you can just call me James."

They exchanged a few looks before nodding and Grumpy asked, "So, James, what's your plan to get Snow back?"

* * *

A good nights, Jefferson dreams of Alice, her gentle smile and golden hair. Of Grace in the forest, their tea parties and games. Of his parents, long dead, but of whom he has nothing but warm memories.

On the bad nights, he dreamt of Wonderland, the four years (time move differently there) that seemed only four weeks in the forest. Of the Red Queen's cruel laugh. Of sharp blades and hot blood, hard fists and pain. Too many to fight, to strong, they wouldn't even let him die….

He didn't know what to think about the nights when he dreamt of Emma. Emma, with her strength and spirit and compassionate eyes. Emma, whose magic saying to him even if she denied its existence. Something about her made him feel…things he couldn't put into words.

Other memories, of his life between his parents death when he was 12 and meeting Alice at 18 were far less troubling.

_Though he had no formal education, Jefferson's mother had made sure her only son learned to read, write and do maths. The latter came in handy for the measurements required in the craft his father taught him._

_Jefferson took to millinery with shocking ease and, after sickness took both his parents, he was able to make a fair living at it._

_One day, she had come into his tiny shop/home. Everyone in all the kingdoms knew who Maleficent was, knew to fear her. _

_Despite his best efforts to sink into the shadows, she spotted him and raised an imperious, beckoning hand. "Come here child."_

_Gathering his nerve, Jefferson stepped forward and dipped into a respectful bow. "Greetings, my lady. How may I help you today?"_

_A poor merchant he might've been, but his mother had insisted he learn proper manners._

_Maleficent smiled, amused and gestured to the hats surrounding them. "Tell me, who makes these fine wares?"_

_He flashed, proud that his work was appreciated. "I do, my lady."_

"_You?" she asked, sounding doubtful. "Not your father or mentor?"_

"_My parents are gone," he replied, blinking rapidly to hold back an embarrassing rush of tears. "This is my shop now."_

_Again, she smiled. "I meant no insult, my pretty child," she crooned, taking his chin between her thumb and forefinger to turn his head, studying him from all angles. "Have you thought of traveling, selling your hats at the castles instead of this small town? They are very good."_

"_I've never been anywhere but here," he answered honestly and his reply caused her to tutt unhappily._

"_You're an artist, pretty child. You need to travel, experience the worlds, be inspired," she said, staring at him hard for a moment before plucking the large (father said he would grow into it), velvet hat from his head. She waved a hand over it and it glowed a lovely violet color before returning to normal. "They are now. You, my pretty little Hatter, now own one of the few portals between world. Use it, travel, people will pay well for the chance to join you."_

_With that, she selected a half-dozen hats and pressed some gold into his palm. "You will become something exquisite," she purred, touching his face again in a way that made him very uncomfortable. "Just remember the rule. However many go in must come out. No more, no less."_

_She left in this world of voluminous skirts and Jefferson stood there, clutching his hat. He could feel the magic in it, a tingle in his fingers that seemed to reach deep into his soul and he knew, instinctively, how to use this new gift._

_He knew how to travel between worlds._

_Word spread quickly and, true to Maleficent's predictions, wealthy people from any number of kingdoms began to call upon him to utilize his skills. His life became one adventure after another and, though he missed the stability of home, he wouldn't want to give up traveling anytime soon._

_He was 14 when a young man approached him to say that Queen Regina had requested his presence. Of course Jefferson knew her. In the four years since she'd married King Leopold, she'd establish herself as the true ruler of the kingdom, strong, powerful and to be feared._

_Not the sort of woman you could say no to._

_She and her advisor, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, proved initially to be far less scary than legends would say. Sure, there were rumors about what Victor got up to in that lab of his, but Jefferson avoided that part of the castle. Often, after the queen put him on retainer, Regina and Victor would accompany him on jumps and, for the first time since his parents had died, Jefferson felt like there were people that actually cared about him._

_Of course, his objectivity was questionable, as Regina was a stunningly gorgeous 20-year-old woman and he was a 14-year-old who had recently become aware that girls were wonderful instead of gross. He and Victor had suites in one of the far wings of the castle and everyone knew they were the queen's favored two…friends._

_Then the king died._

_Though he'd never actually met the man, Leopold struck Jefferson as kind and mostly benign. The man's defining traits seem to be his love for Regina and his young daughter._

_After his death, Regina changed. She became darker, crueler. 16 year old Snow White, Leopold's daughter, disappeared one day and Jefferson didn't have the stomach to ask where she'd gone. _

_He suspected Regina might have killed the girl._

_Things only got worse and, for the next two years, he found himself tasked with increasingly dangerous jumps, often to Wonderland, with the Queen of Hearts ruled. She struck Jefferson is even worse than Regina and, for some reason, seem to loathe anyone from their realm._

_For some sick reason, Regina took great joy in sending Jefferson to acquire items from Wonderland._

_It was on one of these trips that he met Alice, who'd fallen a rabbit hole from a land without magic. She was smart, brave, beautiful and he was smitten. One of Regina soldiers, sent with him as this was a particularly daunting mission, fell to the Queen of Hearts cards and so Alice returned to the forest with him._

_He and Alice married at 18, leaving the castle and the service of the queen for simpler life. A year later, Grace had been born, a difficult birth that Alice did not survive._

_For 10 years they scraped by, rich in love with nothing else…until Regina came around with the promise of a better life…._

Jefferson shook himself, not wanting to get lost in a morose trip down memory lane. He'd had far too much time alone over the years and had perfected the art.

When the curse had been broken, he went on his way to see Grace when the Wraith flew through town, upending his car and leaving him trapped for over 24 hours. Perhaps it was the concussion, but as he hung there, pondering his life and his occasionally tenuous grasp on his sanity, Jefferson began to wonder if he was in any state to take care of Grace.

He had terrible nightmares, was prone to self-destructive fits, had held Snow White and Emma hostage and was unused to dealing with people in general. He certainly wasn't the person his daughter remembered.

Perhaps it would be kinder to stay away. She had been happy with the Doyles, had always liked their neighbors before the curse. His reappearance would disrupt her chance to resettle into a life with them.

He'd heard that anyone who left town lost their memories of their lives in the forest again. It made him wish the brainwashing had taken with him. He could leave and forget, still be broken and crazy, but at least he would miss his daughter….

"You're the Mad Hatter, right? Jefferson?"

The young voice pulled him out of his dreary contemplation of the Bay. Blinking he looked over to see Henry, Emma's son, Snow and Charming's grandson, peering at him speculatively.

"Yes, Henry. I am." He didn't like to be called Mad, or any variation thereof, but he didn't have the will to protest.

Especially not with Prince Charming rapidly strolling down the dock.

Wonderful.

* * *

After picking Henry up from school, they been walking by the Bay when the boy took off down the dock, startling James. He gave chase until he saw Henry stopped by familiar, dark clad figure, slowing himself to a jog so as to seem less threatening. The realm jumper had run the last time James tried to talk to him and he thought perhaps a less aggressive approach would be better received.

For a moment, Jefferson eyed him, clearly wary until Henry brandished a slightly crumpled paper at him.

"Grace is looking for you!" Henry said in a tone James had come to think of as his '_God, why are grown up so stupid?_' voice. "Look! She's handing out flyers and everything!"

The Hatter accepted the paper and gazed down at it. James watched as the man's hands began to tremble, as he blinked rapidly, trying (and failing) to fight back tears.

Anyone who so clearly adored their child couldn't be all bad, James thought.

"I'm no good for her," Jefferson breathed and James almost flinched at the wrecked quality of the man's voice. "She's better off…."

"That's what Emma thought," Henry interrupted, sitting down beside the Hatter and padding shoulder. "I'd never even met her and I missed her, so let me tell you that Grace wants you back no matter what."

As James wondered if precociousness Henry tended toward, Jefferson shook his head. "Different circumstances. I'm…well, me and your mother is extraordinary."

"She is pretty cool," Henry agreed and Jim suspected this circuitous conversation could continue for some time.

"Do you love your daughter?" James said suddenly. "Would you do anything for her?"

"Of course. That's…."

"That's how I feel about my wife and daughter," James continued, not letting Jefferson finished. He wanted to shake the man, but, since physically doing so hadn't worked before, maybe knocking him out of his angsty, self hating mental process would be more effective. "You help us find them, will help you with Grace."

The man still, mulling over James's words before turning to Henry. "I want to apologize for the Apple. I didn't know what it did when Regina asked me to retrieve it."

"Why would you help her?" Henry asked, sounding more curious than anything. "The book said she left you stranded in Wonderland. Why trust her?"

The fact that the man had been involved, even unintentionally, with Henry's near-death experience didn't make James happy, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew why the Hatter had done so. "Grace, right? She promised you could be with Grace."

Jefferson nodded, then grimaced. "One more confession to make… And I request you hold off on the violence until after I finish."

His story, while unsettling, was surprisingly concise. Snow and Emma, hostage taking, drugged tea, threats - though he stressed the fact that he never actually intended to harm either of them-, a telescope to the head from Emma, and a croquet mallet to the head from Snow before she kicked him out the third story window.

When he finished, he folded his hands in his lap and regarded James with cautious eyes. Fuming, James clenched his fists and let out a breath through his nose. "Stand up."

"Why?"

"Because I can't hit you will you're sitting down," James explained making a gesture to indicate the other man needed to hurry.

Henry gave him a funny look. "Why do you think that will encourage him to get up, Gramps?"

Jefferson looked equally confused and James sighed. "Look, this is what's going to happen. You're going to let me punch you, then were going to move on. I can't promise Emma and Snow will see it my way, but we're guys, this is how we handle this sort of thing. Let's go."

After a moment's consideration, Jefferson nodded and stood. When James hit him, he staggered but didn't fall, which was somewhat surprising considering how slim he was.

Looking at his hand, James wondered if his combat skills have atrophied from disuse. He still felt strong, but it had been 28 years…..

"You said Emma made at hat the night you…met her?" Henry asked, quite diplomatically.

Working his jaw, Jefferson nodded. "She did… It didn't work that night. It might now, but that doesn't matter because I haven't seen it lately."

"Because she took it with her," Henry informed him. "It's in her room. Do you think you can make it work?"

Which was how the three of them wound up staring at a velvet top hat as it sat on the counter in Emma and Snow's kitchen. Jefferson was holding a bag of peas to his purpling jaw and staring at the hat, though he'd yet to touch it.

"Well," Henry prompted, youthful impatience rearing up. "Is it magic?"

"Yes," Jefferson breathed, eyes slightly unfocused in a way that made James wonder if punching him had been a bad idea. After all, the man had been in a massive car accident and then trapped for 24 hours in the wreckage during the past few days. He could have some kind of head injury. "Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what? James asked, reaching out and brushing the hat with one finger, causing Henry to follow suit.

Nothing happened.

"Emma's magic is potent and very different," Jefferson said, finally placing a hand, which glowed a pure, icy blue, on the hat. "She breaks the rules… If I can find them, I can bring them back… No one trapped, left behind…."

He was looking so dazed that James snapped, "Hey! Focus…shit."

The swear slipped out when the Hatter's eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the floor. Henry leapt back, startled, then crept forward again as James knelt by the man, whom he concluded was still alive but that was the extent of his medical skills.

"I think maybe hitting him earlier was a bad idea," Henry said, voicing James his own thoughts exactly.

25 min. later, Red arrived with Whale in tow. Jefferson had only been unconscious for 5 min. and was seated on the couch when they entered.

As Whale walked over to Jefferson, who frowned slightly and said, "Hello, Victor.", Red strode toward James.

"Here," she said, dropping something into his palm.

Looking down, he saw he was holding a sheriffs badge and she was wearing a deputy star on her belt. "Where did you get these?"

"Sheriff's office," she replied with a shrug. "Graham kept a box of them around 'cuz he was always misplacing his. Figure people would like some sort of sign that there was still a functional Police Department around."

"The dwarves…."

"Already gave them theirs," she said, then waved a hand over Jefferson. "So…what's this about?"

"He's a portal jumper," James replied, then pointed at the hat. "That the portal. Unfortunately, I may have concussed the portal jumper."

"I'm fine!" Jefferson said from across the room, which caused Whale to scowl.

"I said you weren't dying, not that you were fine," the doctor said in exasperation. "You do have a concussion and some cracked ribs. I don't know why you're not cringing every time you breathe."

Jefferson met his gaze and said, "Regina left me in Wonderland, Victor. The Queen of Hearts had me for four years before the curse dropped me here. The pain I'm in now, it's nothing."

"So…not to be pushy but…," James began, only to be interrupted.

"I'm good to go," Jefferson said, which earned a snort from Whale.

"Oh my God, no you're not!"

"I opened and navigated a portal with a spear through my flank when I was 15. I think I can do this."

"Like all 15-year-olds, you were an idiot," Whale snapped, then turned to James. "Speaking of idiots, the next time you encounter someone with a head wound," he gestured to the scrapes and bruises the Hatter had incurred in the car accident, "Try to refrain from punching them. It tends to end badly."

Chastened, James nodded slightly, even as Jefferson snorted. "Please. I'm a head injury aficionado. This is nothing."

"No portal use for at least three days," Whale decreed, clearly unimpressed by the smartass remark. "Rest, lots of fluids and someone should check up on you, make sure you don't lapse into a coma and die."

A light knock at the door drew James's attention from the bickering pair and he rose, gathering and sorting case the visitor proved to be an enemy.

He felt a little silly when he found himself gazing down at a big eyed little girl instead of something more threatening.

"Hello?" he said, curious about her presence. "Are you all right? Do you need some help?"

She blinked at him, then executed a rough curtsy. "I'm fine, your highness. Henry…."

"Geeze, Gramps, let her in," Henry muttered, pushing past him to step up to the girl. "C'mon in, Grace."

Grace.

Oh.

The two children stepped around him and James watched as Henry drew the girl into the living room. Her footsteps faltered when she caught sight of her father and she gasped, "Papa!"

For someone bruised and battered, Jefferson proved surprisingly strong, heaving Whale away from himself with one good shove. "Grace!" he breathed, breaking into a blinding smile.

He didn't even flinch when the girl threw herself into his arms (though his cracked ribs must've protested) is simply buried his face in her hair, sobbing.

Looking very uncomfortable, Whale edged away. "Call me if he gets worse," he said as he retreated all the way out the door.

Red and Henry were watching the teary reunion with smiles and James herded them into the kitchen to give Jefferson and Grace some semblance of privacy. Once there, he looked down at Henry of asked, "You called Grace?"

"Texted her," Henry said with a nod, then crossed his arms and gave an eerily adult, wry smirk. "I had to. All you adults are emotionally stunted."

James wanted to protest, but considering he had been David for most of the time Henry had known him, he really couldn't. David was a bit of an idiot.

"If there's not going to be a rescue attempt today," Red said quietly, "I'm going to head out. The towns starting to function again but there are a few…issues. Robin and Guy got into a bareknuckle punch out earlier and I'm pretty sure that was just the opening gambit."

That could escalate quickly, James thought with a wince. Robin of Locksley and Guy Gisborn's feud had been well known far beyond the reaches of Nottingham. Having that sort of animosity floating around….

"You guys go take care that," Henry said, giving James a grin. "I can hold down the fort here."

If he had been able to think of a better solution, James would've preferred not to leave Henry and Grace with the concussed, emotionally unstable Hatter, but he didn't want to drag the boy into the middle of a Robin/Guy spat either.

James was sure he remembered hearing tales of their feud something about flaming arrows, human catapults and villages razed to the ground.

"Call me if you need anything or…if anything happens," he told Henry, who nodded very seriously.

"Will do."

As he and Red left the apartment, James looked at her and asked, "Anything else interesting happened since school let out?"

"Well, Blue and a genie seemed to have made some sort of an alliance….."

* * *

It was quite late by the time James made his way back to the apartment. There'd been a few minor incidents (he had to make an announcement that attempting to jumpstart your ability to fly but leaping off of a building was not advisable) as well as a knock down, drag out fight between Robin and Guy. He and Ruby had been forced to jump into separate them in both combatants were spending the night in lockup.

During the melee, James taken a shot to the eye. No one was sure who had landed the blow (though he suspected Robin and her absurd be pointy elbows. Seriously, why did women have such sharp elbows and knees?) but James was willing to overlook the assault. After all, he could understand fighting for the woman you love.

Henry and Grace were sleep in them is room and Jefferson was sprawled across the couch, still awake, when James made a quick check of the apartment. Then he retreated to the kitchen to find an ice pack.

From the living room, Jefferson asked, "Robin and Guy still trying to kill each other?"

"Yes," James sighed. "Hopefully Red will keep them from strangling each other through the cell bars."

"Maybe next time you should just let them punch it out. You'd get fewer black eyes."

"I had to step in! You can't just let a man hit a woman."

Jefferson set up, grimacing as sore muscles protested. "Well, no, not normally, but they were fighting over the hand of another woman. It wasn't some…domestic violence situation."

"But Guy is a lot bigger than her."

"Robin's scrappy."

"She's still woman. Men should not hit women," James insisted. He didn't like to think of himself as a chauvinist, new women could and did fight, but still… The idea of seeing a woman hit, for any reason just did not sit well with him.

"I don't disagree, but I'm thinking some women, such as Robin, Red, your wife and daughter, would find such intervention insulting."

James pondered this. "Touché."

With a nod, Jefferson poked the couch cushion. "If you insist I stay around so you can make sure I don't die before getting Emma and your wife back, _I insist_ we move everyone over to my house tomorrow. There will be enough beds for everyone."

It didn't seem too great a concession, so James nodded and gathered up his ice pack before heading to bed.

* * *

The old manor house on the edge of town was really lovely…on the outside. Inside, well, James supposed it was nice, but the decor definitely wasn't to his taste.

White carpet? How the heck was it not covered in stains?

The bedrooms Jefferson led Henry and James to had the sparse feel of Scandinavian design, all clean lines and minimalism. Grace is room however….

"Papa, it's perfect!" she said, stepping happily into the room and peering around.

There was a plush, sage green carpet on the floor and the walls had been painted a warm, creamy color. The bedspread was the same shade of green with small white and pink flowers and, in front of the pillows, sat a stuffed rabbit and a doll. A bookshelf was stuffed with all kinds of books and there was a squashy chair sitting beside it, next to the stone hearth. There was also a dresser and desk, but would have caught the girl's attention with the small table and chairs set in front of the French doors.

On it sat a delicate tea set.

Clearly, Jefferson had put an effort into making this room special for Grace. The other rooms were probably largely unpatched a part of whatever life Regina had concocted for the man to live in this world.

James resolved to take notice of anything that seemed out of place anything that looked particularly new or well used. He figured those little hints would tell him more about his new ally.

* * *

"Papa, why does your telescope have a dent in it?"

* * *

"Oh…So, this is a lot of hats."

"I think we've established that I have some issues."

"Right. How about you lock that door, keep the kids out of here."

"Why? They merely hats. I'm not complaining about your near Armory of swords… Where are you getting those, by the way?"

"Our sporting-goods store has a very diverse selection, but that's not the point. All hats are the same! If fairly reeks of crazy in here."

"Yes, this is where I keep most of my crazy. The patterned wallpaper makes the blood spatter hard to detect."

"…Just lock the damn door."

* * *

After two days, Whale showed up to check on Jefferson's recovery. James watched as the doctor shook his head and commented, "You always were a tough little son of a bitch."

Jefferson snorted. "So I can jump tomorrow?"

"I don't think it'll kill you," Whale agreed, then glanced around. "Don't know why you'd want to leave all this though. I mean, you scampered off to that hovel when you left Regina's service. Here you have this, even without selling your soul."

Jefferson glanced out the window to where Grace and Henry were playing in the yard. "I'm not going to leave that boy without his mother, Victor," he said softly. "I owe her and Snow White and I honor my debts."

Whale heaved a sigh and began to pack up his medical bag. "You weren't such killjoy when you were younger. At least tell me you've used all this to score a few dates."

James bristled scowled, internally repeating the mantra _They were cursed. They were cursed. Don't kill him, they were cursed._

Not that the uncursed Whale seemed any less randy than he had been.

Jefferson drawled, "No, I have not. The only women I've spoken more than a few words to in nearly 3 decades have been Regina, Snow, Emma, Belle and Red."

"You need to get laid," Whale countered, clearly aghast. "Back me up on this, _Charming_."

James was not about to suggest Jefferson toss the emotional upheaval of romance onto his already tenuous grasp on sanity. "Leave him alone, Whale."

"C'mon," Whale prodded with a grin. "I remember how the pretty young girls around the castle followed you. Hell, they were times I thought Regina was going to bed you… Probably still would…."

"Women responsible for my beheading and torture are not my type," Jefferson said, glaring balefully at the doctor.

"Well, if you going to be like that, then no wonder you have trouble getting any," Whale sighed, shaking his head before turning to James. "Have you figured out the answer to my question about the nuns?"

_This again? _"Just work under the assumption that they're nuns," Jane said, herding the doctor out of the room toward the door. "Don't harass them."

After the doctor took his leave, James returned to the sitting room to ask, "Was he less annoying when you knew him before?"

Shaking his head, Jefferson replied, "Not really, no…and he's a lot less creepy now. Sure, he's a letch, but I'm fairly certain he's not going to experiment on his conquests here."

James blinked. "What?"

"There were rumors," Jefferson said with a frown. "And a general vibe of '_I'd like to cut you open and see how you work'_. That's gone, so less creepy."

Smiling weakly, James nodded. He was going to have to give Red and the dwarves call, tell them to keep an eye on Whale.

Just in case.

* * *

"Papa, I don't want you to go!"

The anguish and Grace's voice and the tears on her cheeks as she clung to her father's waist made James's heart hurt for her. If there was any way to rescue Snow and Emma without causing her such distress he'd have gone with that, but that seemed unlikely.

Henry was standing beside James, who shouldered his backpack of supplies as his grandson pled his own case. "I want to come with you, Gramps! You know I'll be a big help."

James heard Jefferson quietly assuring his daughter that he would be back this time, but he had to go find Henry's mother, so he spoke to the boy quickly. "It could be dangerous Henry and we need to find Emma and Snow as soon as possible. I need you to stay and help Red, okay? And you should look after Grace. She's very upset."

Read, there to see them off and take Henry and Grace to Granny's, nodded. She and the dwarves were paired to handle the town for a few days in his absence. They'd even found a new recruit, Maximus, Capt. of Rapunzel's Royal guard, who was willing to step in and lend a hand should any trouble arise.

Neither child seemed happy, but eventually they allowed Red to lead them away from where Jefferson stood with his hat. A practiced flick of his wrist sent the hat spinning and opened the vortex, pure icy blue affair that was far different from the one Regina opened in the Sheriff's office.

With a wave to Grace, the Hatter leapt into the swirl, completely nonchalant about the whole process. Taking this as a good sign, James followed his lead….

And discover that he did not enjoy portal travel.

The whole process left them feeling like someone had dumped him into a supercharged dryer set on tumble. It was dizzying, disorienting and the flashing lights didn't….

Then he was dumped unceremoniously onto the hard stone ground and promptly proceeded to vomit up a hearty breakfast Granny had insisted Red bring up to them.

"Oh God," he gasped, running a hand over his face briskly trying to regain some sense of equilibrium. "What the hell was that?"

"Some people react badly to their first portal," Jefferson said, sounding entirely unaffected. When James looked up, he saw the Hatter standing calmly, unruffled and vomit free. "Next time it won't be so rough on you."

Wonderful. "Where are we?" James asked, looking around the overgrown ruin of what had once been a lovely castle. "This isn't the forest."

"Another kingdom, perhaps," Jefferson mused, stepping over to a small pile of rubble and picking up a familiar straw broom. "We're in the right place. I picked up the last portal signature in the void and followed it."

How the Hatter had done anything in transit was beyond James, but the broom was proof the man knew what he was doing.

"Snow!" James bellowed, voice bouncing off of the stone around them. "Emma!"

Eventually, the echo faded and there was no answer. Actually, there was no sound, no animals, no people….

Wait, there was something. A high-pitched, whistling wail, increasing in volume as it neared. In the distance, a strange swirl of green mist appeared, flying toward their location at an impressive rate of speed.

James drew his sword, ready to take on…whatever this was.

Beside him, Jefferson murmured, "Yes, swords are so historically effective for combating non-corporeal entities."

"Fine. What's your plan then?"

The mist arrived, spilling down upon the far side of the courtyard, glowing brightly and then… dissipating.

All in all, a bit anti-climactic…at least until shout startled them.

Where the mist had been, a man surged to his feet, rolling off the raised stone platform. He wheeled around, clearly looking for something. Upon catching sight of them, he shouted, "Where is it?"

Curious, James replied, "Where is what?"

"The Wraith!" the man said plaintively. "It was…wait, how did I get here? Where are Aurora and Mulan?"

Striding across the courtyard, James said, "We've only just arrived ourselves, so I can't answer that…Phillip?"

Upon closer site, James thought he recognized the other man as the son of King Michael, ruler of the small southern land.

The man narrowed his eyes, them seemed startled. "James, isn't it? We thought the entire forest lost to whatever caused the time troubles here."

"We were… Sent to another world and our memories stolen from us until very recently…" James began, but Phillip waved him off.

"We must go before the Wraith returns," Phillip said, scanning the horizon. "It is a vile creature."

"Yeah, I don't think we have to worry about that," Jefferson said, causing James to look to the stone platform, with the Hatter was sweeping green dust into a pouch. "I think it's pretty obvious what happened."

Not really.

"Maybe to you," James prompted, then asked, "What are you doing?"

Jefferson sighed. "Okay, clearly Phillip over there got his soul sucked out by a Wraith - and wow, JK Rowling was spot on with her Dementors -, fell into an enchanted suspended animation and someone dumped them here to wait it out - I'm betting a loved one- while they hunted the Wraith, killed it and freed his soul to return to his body. Obvious. And this dust is left over from his soul reintegrating with his body. It's magic, like supercharged fairy dust."

Tiredly, James said, "No, no that is not obvious. Regina said Wraith can't be killed. How…I just answered my own question there, didn't I?"

"New rule," Jefferson said, "Don't trust Regina."

That seemed pretty logical. Phillip was looking at them as though trying to judge how insane they were. After moment the dark-haired Prince said, "Right, well, I must be off. People to find."

"Were looking for people as well," James said as the pair walked toward the edge of the courtyard, Jefferson trailing of the slight distance. "My wife and daughter fell through portal and landed here."

Approaching the loose dirt that met the stone path, Phillip said, "Well, for people left this way. Aurora, Mulan and two strangers wearing odd boots… No children though."

James looked down at the footprints. "It's a long story, but that's them."

Phillip gave James another disturbed look and Jefferson said, "Can we just use 'magical curse' as the go to explanation for any strangeness, please? I want to find them and get back to my daughter, who is still an actual child."

"Works for me," James agreed, not wanting to have to explain in detail and was glad when Phillip nodded.

Together, the three men set out toward what Phillip assured them would have been the only place Mulan would have led the others.

* * *

It turned out that Mulan and Aurora had brought Snow and Emma to the camp of survivors…as prisoners. The group then set out for Hallow Hollow, a place Wraith were said to frequent, hoping to slay the one we dined on Phillip's soul.

Clearly, since he was up and about, they had succeeded, but they should have since returned to camp.

They set out on horseback which, in James's mind, was a method far preferable to portal travel.

Jefferson hadn't seem to agree, eyeing his horse distrustfully for several minutes before mounting the creature. It soon became obvious that, while he knew how to ride, he did not like it.

Two days of hard riding brought them to the scene of an ongoing battle. The group of ogres was laying siege to a small encampment, whose defenses seemed almost enough to repel the ogres.

Almost.

In the twilight, a brief flash of ice blue light was obvious as a lightning strike in James saw Jefferson react as though pinched.

"Emma," the Hatter said, pointing very surely. "That was her magic. I could feel it from here."

If Emma was there then Snow would be nearby. Exchanging looks with Philip, James said, "To battle then."

The ogres were just as fierce as James remembered and just as slow witted. His previous worries about any atrophy of his physical skills faded as his sword felt as natural as ever in his hand. As he fought to different enemies, one fell, a skillfully placed arrow protruding from its neck.

Occasionally, he caught a glimpse of Phillip, who was cutting his own swath through the crowd. Jefferson was harder to spot, his dark clothing blending into the night more seamlessly than armor, but eventually James spotted him, quick and precise, slipping a vicious looking dagger into the soft part of it ogres flank.

Eventually, the remaining enemies retreated, leaving the three men standing amidst a field of fallen foes.

"Aurora!" Phillip shouted, before James had the chance to ask he was okay. "Mulan!"

With a shrug, James followed suit. "Snow! Emma!"

The gates surrounding the encampment cracked open and two figures darted out, followed by two slower moving shadows.

A pretty young woman in rough breaches threw herself into Phillip's arms, saying, "You're alive! You're alive!"

The other woman stopped a few feet away and seemed slightly startled when the first yanked her over to join their embrace.

Further contemplation of that dynamic was cut off when Snow caught him in a tight hug as she said, "You found us!"

"Always," he replied, smiling as he kissed her gently. "Though I prefer a little non-magical curse coma down time before the next time one of us goes missing."

She laughed. "How did you find us? Did Regina admit this world still existed?"

"Eventually, yes," James said. He didn't truly understand why Regina had been acting…less horrible when he went to retrieve Henry, but she had been truthful in her reply. "Though Jefferson had already told me as much."

"Jefferson!" Snow and Emma chorused, causing the man in question to step out of the shadows he had sunk into.

"Sheriff, Your Highness," he said, inclining his head and keeping at a careful distance. "Glad to see you're both well."

It was Emma who made the first move, approaching the Hatter as though he were a half wild creature. "So…you weren't crazy after all," she commented, eyeing him warily.

He shrugged. "Not entirely, no…but I admit some of my actions were unbalanced. Sorry about all that."

She nodded. "Sorry about bashing you in the head with your telescope…though you did deserve it."

"Fair enough," he agreed. "Your family does seem inclined to cause me head injuries…Your hat worked, by the way. A much smoother ride than my old one."

"Regina has your hat," Emma told him. "That's how we got here."

"It met an untimely end," Jefferson drawled, causing James to chuckle.

The sound drew Emma's attention and she turned her gaze to him. "How's Henry?" She asked, then looked around. "I'm surprised he didn't try to follow you here."

"He wanted to come," James told her, wanting to reach out and hug his daughter but understanding her reluctance. "I convinced him to stay to help Red and keep Grace company."

"She was…unsettled by the idea of me leaving again," Jefferson commented. "Henry is a good boy."

"He is," Emma agreed. "So how do we get home?"

"We have to go back to the courtyard where we arrived…."

"Wait!"

In unison with Snow, Emma and Jefferson, James turned to regard Philip, who had been the one to call out to them. At their questioning gazes, he continued, "Where you're going… It is a good land? Safe?"

"Well, there's danger anywhere," Emma answered, then prodded a club, left abandoned by an ogre, "but comparatively, yeah, it's safe. No roving bands of ogres and I already took care of the Dragon living under the library."

Well, that certainly sounded like a story he wanted to hear…but maybe not now. Instead, James looked at Phillip, thought about the strong, battered but unbroken people he'd seen at the camp the other prince called his home. There were perhaps 200 men, women and children living there and in the small encampment they had just helped defend….

"Jefferson," James began, words spilling past his lips even as his thoughts took form, "How many people can travel through a portal at one time?"

The Hatter blinked. "I've never tried to take more than a dozen, but with this hat, I could probably go through and anchor it to allow as many people to follow as was needed."

James looked down at Snow, who met his gaze and nodded. He turned back to Phillip and said, "Any of your people who would like to come with us are welcome to do so."

Phillip and Aurora exchanged pleased smiles and Mulan said, "I will send word to our camp."

As night had fallen, travel was not considered particularly wise, so together James, Snow, Emma, Jefferson, Philip, Aurora and Mulan made their way toward the encampment to rest for the night, the horses trailing behind the men. James almost laughed when he heard Jefferson offer Emma the reigns of his.

"What? No. Why would I want to walk the horse? Do I look like a horse person?"

"Do I?" the Hatter countered quickly. "I'm not…we've nearly reached an understanding. I don't like it, it doesn't like me."

"Why does it keep trying to eat my hair?" Emma asked when the horse did indeed attempt to nibble on her locks.

"You smell like sunshine," Jefferson commented offhandedly, tugging the horse away from her and completely missing the way Emma's expression softened.

_Oh, Snow was not going to like that_. Hell, James actually liked Jefferson and he wasn't sure he liked the idea. Over the past few days, it had become clear that the Hatter liked Emma, but James hadn't been able to get a read on exactly how, given that the man's emotions tended to leap all over the place.

Emma however…call it father's intuition, but her little smile said it all.

This was going to be… Interesting.


End file.
